The Cheerio and the Broadway Hopeful
by TheInvisibleTeen
Summary: Nerd!Kurt and Cheerio!Blaine in a reversal of the usual casting. I read so many nerd Blaine fics I wondered why Kurt was never cast as the geek. here's a little one shot for you :D


"Kurt get your eyes off Anderson, it'll only lead to heartbreak"

"Shut up Berry." Kurt glared at the girl beside him in the cafeteria.

"I'm trying to help you Kurt. I know you don't want to hear it but he'll never notice you. You're in glee club Kurt. He's head Cheerio."

"I said shut up." He glared.

Yes it was hopeless. Kurt was clever, slightly nerdy, a fashionista with incredible fashion sense, an amazing singer, glee club soloist whenever berry was forced to give over to Kurt's talent, musical obsessed and definitely at the bottom of the school social heap. He could still stare lustfully at him across the cafeteria and imagine crazy scenarios similar to Broadway musical storylines. He had already played out an entire _Hairspray_ musical involving himself and Blaine and it was only Tuesday.

"Kurt Hummel."

"Yes?" Kurt said as he was brought out of another daydream by the arrival of a small girl he knew to be called Becky.

"Coach Sylvester wants to see you in her office. Now." she informed him before promptly leaving.

"Don't keep the beast waiting Kurt. She'll murder you if you take forever,"

"Way to fill him with confidence berry! It'll be fine Boo, you haven't done anything wrong have you?"

"No. I guess I'd better go then. Well if I'm not in glee club fifth period send out the homicide detectives," Kurt joked nervously as he stood and slung his bag over his shoulder. He moved quickly through the empty halls not wanting to keep the witch waiting. He had no idea what was going on but knew to get there quick.

* * *

><p>"Ah my sweet Porcelain. Sit." Kurt heard her say as he opened her office door. He sat nervously in the famous butt-sweat chair, internally cringing at its title.<p>

"Coach Sylvester, may I ask why I'm here?" Kurt asked nervously.

"You just did sweet cheeks." She practically snarled. Kurt tried not to cower back in fear. "However my torturing you for no reason is hardly fun and more or less pointless. Therefore, Hummel, seeing as you actually pay attention in lessons and have some of the highest grades in the year, you will be tutoring on of my students. You do not have a choice in this-" she said, ignoring the look on Kurt' face, "- I have given your details to your tutee and I'm sure they will contact you shortly. They must pass their end of year calculus and biology exams to stay on the Cheerios and if they don't they will be kicked from the team and will also know who to blame. I think you have enough motivation now get out of my office." Kurt stared at her for a moment before hurrying out of her office before she could yell at him for still being there. He headed for his locker finding the halls slightly busier, opened it and grabbed his books for the next period when Mercedes walked up and opened her locker, which was two down.

"What did the witch want?" she asked and she adjusted a photo of herself, Rachel and Kurt at a sleepover, which was falling off the inside of her locker door slightly.

"She's forcing me to tutor one of her Cheerios. If they fail calculus and Bio this year they'll be kicked from the team and 'know who to blame'. Basically I'm fucked if I don't do a good job because they'll beat the crap out of me." Kurt sighed, leaning against the wall of lockers.

"Ouch. But you'll still have time for glee club right?"

"Oh yeah. I'm not giving up Glee for some thick skulled Cheerio," Kurt laughed as he and Mercedes headed for their next lesson together as the bell rang shrill through the hallways.

* * *

><p>"Kurt!" called Finn from the doorway of the 'Humdel' residence on Thursday afternoon after school.<p>

"Yeah?" he called from his room, lowering a copy of Vogue.

"Someone for ya!"

"Is it Mercedes?" he asked as he descended the stairs.

It wasn't.

"Kurt Hummel I presume?" said none other than Blaine Anderson, who stood just inside the front door.

"Yes? Can I help you?" Kurt asked in a not particularly friendly tone. A cheerleader in his house was not something he particularly wanted, no matter who it happened to be.

"I'm told you're my new tutor. Coach Sylvester's forcing me to up my grades else I'm off the team." He said in a similar tone.

"Aw man that sucks. I remember when Bieste did something similar to all us on the football team." Finn said who was still standing there.

"I know right? I can't believe it. I'm practically borderline anyway. Apparently she can't take that chance," he scoffed.

"Shame man. Well, I'll let you get studying. I'd study with you but Kurt gave up trying to get me to understand his methods ages ago," Finn laughed.

"Did you bring any of your text books with you?" Kurt asked.

"Uh... no." Blaine laughed. "I don't really intend on doing that much studying."

"Oh really?" Kurt said, raising an eyebrow. "Well you'd better change that attitude pronto mister. Because if you don't pass the grade and get kicked form the team, you wont be a cheerio anymore. You'll be a loser. And if your friends stop backstabbing long enough to remember they were your friends I'll be the one on the receiving end of more crap than present. So buck up your ideas Anderson, I'm not going to be the one to break your fall if you fail."

"How dare you talk down to me like that?" Blaine said, his temper rising.

"Oh _shove over_ Anderson. I don't care for your hierarchy and self-loving. So you can either suck it up and learn something or leave now and save me the bother. Your choice." Kurt stood, hands on hips, staring down the boy he had a crush on. Screw his crush; he wasn't going to get into a fuck-load of trouble over him. Anderson seemed to think about something, his eyes almost windows to the cogs ticking in his brain before dropping his gaze to his feet.

"I... I'd rather you tutor me,"

"Well, we'd better get started then," Kurt said slightly cheerier, turning on his heel and returning up the stairs. Blaine stood for a moment at the bottom of the stairs confused before he heard Kurt's voice. "Yes you are meant to follow me," Blaine blushed slightly in embarrassment but climbed the stairs.

"You'll have to excuse the mess, I wasn't expecting visitors today. Usually its tidier." Kurt said as he stacked several copies of Vogue he'd been reading and comparing out over his bed, stacking them now into date order as they usually were kept.

Blaine stared at the almost immaculate bedroom, confused how it was apparently a 'mess'. He didn't really know what to do with himself, but watched as Kurt then opened a door and pulled out a rather expensive looking bag. It shocked Blaine that such an expensive looking bag should contain schoolbooks but Kurt withdrew his biology textbook, a large A4 notepad and a bejewelled pencil case and then from a different and equally expensive looking bag, his calculus textbook.

"Right well which should we study first?" asked Kurt, dumping the books onto his large bed and sitting cross-legged in the midst of the books.

"Um, I don't mind," Blaine said.

"Well which do you think is your worst subject? We can focus on the one that needs the most attention to begin with." Kurt reasoned.

"Um... Calculus I think. I'm crap at both though," Blaine said.

"You can sit down you know? You don't have to stand there awkwardly all day," Kurt smirked to himself as he slid open the calculus textbook and found the index. Blaine blushed slightly but slid awkwardly onto the edge of the bed.  
>"By the way, if you're going to wear your cheerio outfit every time we study - don't. I'd rather not be constantly reminded of your predicament and the school social ladder if you don't mind. So unless you literally don't own any normal clothes I'd rather you didn't wear <em>that<em> next time."

"So there _will_ be a next time?" Blaine laughed, waggling his eyebrows.

"Please Blaine, can we just get on with it? I'm fairly certain I'm as pleased about this as you are to have to receive tutoring, let alone the fact you've ended up with me."

Blaine's smile lessened slightly but he settled into a rather more comfortable position on the bed, deciding he had better 'start as you mean to go on'...

* * *

><p>"You find out who you're tutoring Kurtie?" Mercedes asked Friday first lesson as they sat down in their seat in the choir room.<p>

"Oh, yeah he turned up at my house yesterday." Kurt said, as he shuffled some music sheets before sliding them into a folder, and taking a new set Rachel was holding out for a group number she was planning.

"Really Rachel?" he said when he read the song title.

"Not more Broadway." Sighed Mercedes as she too received a sheet. "Well come on, who was it?"

"Do not scream, but it was Blaine Anderson," Kurt leaned over and whispered into her ear. Her face however, looked like she was about to jump up and down.

"_Don't_ scream 'cedes." He pleaded. She pursed her lips and let out a silent flail.

"Oh my god though! It's your lover boy!" she whispered back, totally ignoring Rachel's attempt at addressing the class.

"Don't. He's a right idiot. He knows nothing about calculus at all and it's going to be like talking to a five year old trying to explain the last year and a half's worth of math. I'm not looking forward to it at all." He sighed. "He's not the person I dreamed he might be,"

"Oh baby."

"It's okay. Just distract me from yet another Berry solo." He laughed.

* * *

><p>Kurt's phone vibrated during third lesson and he nearly pulled it out from under the desk but his French teacher would not stop looking in his direction so he decided he'd get it later. As he stacked his French textbooks he remembered the text and pulled out his phone.<p>

"_Unknown number:  
>Hello Kurt, Coach Sylvester gave me your number - not sure where she got it but I checked with Finn and this IS your number (I hope). Anyway, I wanted to say thanks for tutoring me yesterday, some of my calculus lesson actually made sense today. :) I was hoping you could give me some more tutor sessions this weekend? Coach Sylvester is letting us off all weekend so I reckon we should cram in some studying whilst she's being generous because I really did find what you said helpful. So yeah, this weekend? Blaine<em>"

Kurt smiled to himself at his locker. At least he'd helped. No matter who it was, Kurt couldn't help but feel pleased when he was appreciated, as it seemed to happen so rarely for people to genuinely appreciate him. He felt Mercedes elbow him in the ribs as she sidled up and noticed him grinning at his phone.

"Who's text you smilin' at?" she asked in a sing song voice. He rolled his eyes and showed her the text.

"What'cha reckon? I had no plans this weekend but for re-reading Vogue and watching reruns of Project Runway to laugh at them. And I guess the quicker I tutor him the quicker it'll be over." Kurt said, shutting his locker and heading towards the cafeteria in step with Mercedes taking his phone back.

"Can I point something out first Kurt?"

"If you're going to tell me my outfit today is fabulous go ahead," he laughed.

"Well I can't deny that; you're always marvellous. But something about that text."

"Go on," he said suspiciously.

"Did you notice the smiley face?"

"Not really. Why?"

"Kurt would you really send a smiley face in a text to someone you didn't like? I think you might be wrong about him. Or at least you were right the first time before you met him."

"Mercedes," Kurt sighed slightly.

"Just, maybe give him a chance. He seems to actually care about his education and enough about his tutor to send him a smiley face he'd send a friend."

"We're not friends 'Cedes. I'm his tutor. Can't we leave it at that?" Kurt said as they entered the cafeteria and headed for the queue.

* * *

><p>Blaine was nervous about the text he'd sent Kurt though not sure why. He'd actually learnt a hell of a lot at Kurt's house and was so grateful for his help. But he felt like now he really wanted to impress Kurt with his newfound knowledge, to show him he wasn't some stupid, backstabbing popular idiot who knew nothing and that in reality he was probably a lot like Kurt. Kurt hadn't opened up a lot about himself over the 3 hours studying but Blaine had taken a lot of sneaky glances at him and his ajar wardrobe door. From what he could see and from how Kurt was dressed at the time Blaine immediately knew he was clearly into fashion, and the Vogue magazine's he'd stacked as he entered only confirmed this. Even just his current clothing had showed off his shape fantastically and though Blaine hated to admit it, he looked pretty hot. And this was what he wore to school for Christ sake!<p>

He panicked now at the lack of response but knew that they did have a lesson and though Blaine wasn't paying much attention in this one - because it was one he was fairly good at - he still wondered if Kurt was a quick texter. He hoped so. When the bell rang he headed slowly for the cafeteria - this being Friday he wasn't actually allowed to eat anything because all the Cheerios were on Sue's crazy diet but slowed when he saw Kurt and a friend walking together. He decided to do something he hadn't in ages - having long since given up caring about gossip - and eavesdropped on their conversation.

"...Not really. Why?" Kurt said.

"Kurt, would you really send a smiley face in a text to someone you didn't like? I think you might be wrong about him. Or at least you were right the first time before you met him." Kurt's friend - who he remembered was called Mercedes Jones - said to him.

"Mercedes," Kurt sighed slightly, a little exasperated.

"Just, maybe give him a chance. He seems to actually care about his education and enough about his tutor to send him a smiley face he'd send a friend." She reasoned. This made Blaine smile. He hadn't really thought about why he'd added a smiley, he guessed he just wanted to keep it light and friendly.

"We're not friends 'Cedes. I'm his tutor. Can't we leave it at that?" Kurt said as they crossed the threshold of the cafeteria. Blaine's heart sank immediately. He thought Kurt had seemed fairly nice, if not a little pissed off by his being handed the trouble of tutoring Blaine over quite a lot of work. Now it seemed Kurt wasn't even remotely interested in being a genuine friend after he's managed to tutor him. Kurt seemed like a genuine person instead of the usual fake bitchy girls who seemed to constitute most of the Cheerio team. Well, he'd just have to see how it all played out he supposed...

* * *

><p>"<strong>Hi Blaine. Yes it is Kurt, and this weekend sounds good. I have no plans either so anytime you'd like really. Any specific ideas?<strong>"

"_Great! Well how about Saturday, my house at 11?"_

"**So long as I don't find an entire closet full of cheer-leading outfits that's fine, lol**"

"_Deal. I'll see you there._"

* * *

><p>"Kurt," Blaine smiled as he opened the door. Kurt had picked just as flamboyant an outfit as he wore to school that seemed even more flattering to his figure. Blaine had nervously picked out something, trying to impress this fashion-focused boy. He was wearing a fitted white tee and one of his favourite pairs of beige pants along with a set of socks he'd been sliding around his kitchen tiles in earlier. Kurt seemed to appraise his outfit carefully.<p>

"Hello Blaine," he said as Blaine opened the door wider and he stepped inside.

"Do I pass the fashion test?" Blaine laughed lightly.

"Actually yes." Kurt said, removing his jacket, which Blaine took and hung in a cloakroom.

"Your house is massive," Kurt said, admiring the large dark-wooden staircase and rather high ceilings.

"Just a little," Blaine laughed. "Can I get you a drink?"

"Um, sure." Kurt said, letting Blaine lead him into the kitchen.

After Kurt admired his similarly massive kitchen and sipped at his drink Blaine showed him up the large oak staircase to his room.

"I'm sorry it's not as tidy as your room," he said as they stepped inside. Blaine's room was a little larger than Kurt's. It was a mainly filled with a load of small trophies, paintings on the walls, the odd poster from such-and-such a band that were popular at the moment, and a punch-bag hanging from a stand in the corner.

"I never realised you played so many sports," Kurt said, his fingers tightening nervously around his satchel strap as his gaze drifted over the labels of each trophy.

"Yeah, I uh, I played on a polo, fencing, boxing and cheerleading team of some sort since I was fourteen. I had to give up the polo a few years back though along with the fencing because there wasn't anywhere nearby to practice or any teams to join but I still keep up with boxing and cheerleading." Blaine said awkwardly, moving over to the punch-bag and kicking it slightly with his foot.

"Wow. That's a lot. It's a wonder you haven't fallen behind in more than just two subjects with all of those sports." Kurt said, admiring a large shiny trophy near him.

"Well, it didn't bother me too much. I just couldn't give up the boxing. I've always used it as a anger outlet."

"I could do with one of those." Kurt laughed weakly, "When I'm angry I just reorganize my closet."

"I could teach you, you know. If you wanted" Blaine offered nervously.

"Boxing?" Blaine nodded. "I don't think so. Do you have any idea how much effort it takes to look like this?" Kurt laughed. Blaine smiled; Kurt put a lot of effort into how he looked, clearly he cared about making an impression... right?

"**That** however, is not something I thought I'd see in here," Kurt said, pointing to a guitar that hid behind a chest of drawers.

"Oh, yeah." Blaine said, spotting it himself. It usually hid there or under some clothes because he knew people would take the piss for his playing it. "Um, lets start shall we?" he asked quickly, distracting Kurt.

"You know, I'm not going to judge you for playing the guitar Blaine," Kurt sighed slightly.

"I don't play it. It was just a gift and I can't bring myself to throw it away," Blaine said quickly. Too quickly.

"Yeah you do. It's in good nick but clearly been used." Kurt said, moving over and picking it up gently. "In tune too," Kurt said as he strummed his fingers across the strings.

"Kurt-"

"Blaine," Kurt countered, interrupting another excuse. "I wont tell anyone if you're embarrassed you know. I'm not like that. I'm not interested in gossip, I'm just here to help you learn calculus. However, if you play guitar, I'd bet you sing too. Am I right?"

"Yes." Blaine sighed, eyes closing and brow furrowing. "Just. Please don't tell anyone okay?"

"I won't. I would however like to hear you sing, though it's not a demand." Kurt smiled, pulling out his textbooks and notes he'd made for Blaine.

"Maybe some day." Blaine half smiled.

* * *

><p>"Kurt?"<p>

"Yes?"

"Thank you." Blaine said, staring at his lap a week later, both boys in his room again having moved to biology for a few hours.

"It's okay. It's not as bad to hang out with you as I thought it might be. I feared it would be like tutoring Finn." Kurt laughed, not really sure why Blaine had taken a sudden sincere tone.

"I mean it though. This stuff makes so much more sense now. I feel really stupid for not understanding before." Blaine said, looking up at his tutor who was shuffling some of his notes pages. "I want to play for you,"

"You... you'll play your guitar?"

A nod.

"You don't have to sit on the floor, you know." Blaine said as he stood and grabbed his guitar from its stand. Kurt smiled and moved to sit on the edge of the bed, crossing his legs underneath him and sitting straight and attentive in anticipation. Blaine took a deep breath and sat on the opposite side of the bed, placing the guitar in his lap and the strap over his neck.

"Don't laugh at the song choice okay? It's the one I know best and I hate messing up." Blaine said. Kurt mimed zipping his lips shut and throwing away the key and Blaine couldn't help but laugh slightly.

_You think I'm pretty, without any make-up on.  
>You think I'm funny, when I tell the punch-line wrong<br>I know you get me, so I let my walls come down,  
>Down...<em>

_Before you met me, I was alright  
>But things were kinda heavy, you brought me to life<br>Now every February, you'll be my Valentine.  
>Valentine...<em>

_Let's go all, the way tonight  
>No regrets. just love.<br>We can dance, until we die.  
>You and I, will be young forever.<em>

_You make me feel,  
>Like I'm livin' a<br>Teenage dream  
>The way you turn me on<br>I can't sleep  
>Let's run away and<br>Don't ever look back,  
>Don't ever look back<em>

_My heart stops, when you look at me.  
>Just one touch, now baby I believe,<br>This is real, so take a chance and  
>Don't ever look back,<br>Don't ever look back..._

Blaine's hands finally stilled on the strings of his guitar and he looked up at Kurt whose mouth had fallen open into a small 'O' .

"Was that really bad?" he asked nervously.

"It was amazing. Blaine you have a real talent for singing and you shouldn't let what people think get in the way of that." Kurt said. "I don't want to push you but I think you should join Glee club. I know it's seen as like, bottom of the social heap but Quinn, Santana and Brittany are all members and nobody gives them crap for it. And most of the boys in Glee are on the football team anyway... I think you'd really like it." Kurt said, trailing off shyly and staring into his own lap now.

"You really think they'd let me in? I thought you had to be, like really, really talented to get in." Blaine said.

"Blaine, every year we have to try and most times fail to recruit members. We're only just over the minimum needed to for us be allowed to compete anyway. And you have _so_ got talent Blaine. I can already imagine Rachel battling you for solos," Kurt giggled. "Of course you'd be battling me for solos too, and if you do, I wont play easy to beat. I have to fight so hard for solos at it is." Kurt sighed and played with the hem on his shirt.

"Maybe I shouldn't then."

"What? Sorry, I'm just a little attention seeking in Glee club because I so rarely get it. Don't listen to my ramblings." Kurt said quickly.

"But I don't want to compete against you Kurt. You deserve the spotlight more than I do. I get it so often as a Cheerio, yet you hide under the radar,"

"Force of habit." Kurt shrugged. At Blaine's confused look he spoke again. "I've spent so long trying to not be noticed, trying to stay quiet so that people don't pick on me. I've learnt that no matter what I say people still do and so dress like this because this is the real me. However I never try and boast about anything. Never force myself to be top of the class, never try and outshine anyone - excluding Rachel. I'd rather help others than boast about myself, that's just not me.

"I mean sure, I'm hoping to go to NYADA after next year and then hopefully on to star on Broadway but that's years away. That's way down the pipeline. I tend to focus on here and now. It seems foolish to get too fussed about the future to forget what's going on right now."

"What's NYADA?" Blaine asked quietly.

"_New York Academy of Dramatic Arts_. Basically my first step into the streets of Broadway and my ticket out of this place."

"You don't like it here?"

"Being one of the school's least popular people, I don't see many reasons to think people in the 'real world' will like me any more than the rest of the students here." Kurt sighed.

"I reckon I know a way that will make you more popular." Blaine said quietly.

"Oh really?" Kurt said.

"Go out with me," Blaine almost whispered.

"Wh-what?" Kurt said in shock.

"Will you go out with me Kurt?" Blaine asked, cheeks ablaze.

"Wh- you don't have to do that. I'm not worth you loosing your popularity over."

"I don't care about that Kurt. I care about you... a lot." Blaine said. "I don't care what people say about me. They can call me every name in the book and it doesn't phase me. People called me all of them when I was younger and before I joined all those stupid sports and I won't let it phase me the second time round. I don't live for the spotlight Kurt, but I know _you_ deserve it." Blaine put his guitar down and held one of Kurt's hands in his.

"I like you Kurt... I... I love you,"

"You have no idea how many times I have wished you'd say that," Kurt smiled.

"Really?"

"Yeah. Before I met you, I uh... I was kind of in love with you. I like to fantasize, okay? But when I met you I had to get rid of all that. I couldn't think about all the time's I'd imagined us dating in my head because that just wasn't going to happen..."

"I'd guess that's a 'no' then," Blaine said disheartened, letting go of Kurt's hands.

"No. It's not. It's more of a 'This-is-way-better-than-I-ever-imagined-because-you-actually-**do**-like-me-and-you-just-asked-me-out' type of yes." Kurt said, pulling his hands back and intertwining their fingers.

"Really?"

"Yes." Kurt beamed. Blaine's heart sped with adrenaline and swelled with happiness and he leaned forward and caught Kurt's lips in a triumphant kiss that Kurt responded to with enthusiasm. They kissed for what felt like forever, heart beats fast but matched, lips becoming bruised from the intensity that they moved together at, hands pulling each other closer. But a loud sound that was the front door forced them to break apart, if only to rest their foreheads together.

"That's my dad." Blaine groaned.

"I should probably go then," Kurt sighed.

"Do you have to?" Blaine asked, eyes full and pleaded like a puppy pining for attention.

"We're studying tomorrow right?"

"Right, 'studying'." Blaine smirked, giving Kurt another chaste kiss on the cheek before they both stood and gathered their books from the floor. They walked to the front door in a companionable silence that was interrupted by Blaine's father.

"Blaine, you didn't tell me you had a friend round?" his husky voice said.

"Yes I did dad. This is my tutor Kurt, he's helping me improve my Bio and Calculus grades so I can stay on the Cheerios." Blaine said.

"It's nice to meet you sir," Kurt said politely, holding out a hand that Mr. Anderson shook roughly.

"And you." he said though Kurt didn't think he was pleased to see him at all.

"I'll see you again tomorrow then Blaine. Biology?"

"Sure, I think I've got all the calculus stuff down and figured out now anyway. I'll see you tomorrow," Blaine smiled.

"See you," Kurt waved as he stepped through the front door and walked towards his vehicle. He couldn't stop smiling all the way home and slid quietly up to his room after a quick shout to his dad on the couch to say he was home. He felt like screaming in delight as he flopped onto his bed but forced himself to stay silent so as not to let anyone know. He slowly pulled out his phone and sent a text to Mercedes.

It simply read: "**I have a boyfriend**"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: another little one shot. i've read quite a few of dorky/nerdy blaine and cheerio kurt fics recently and wanted to do one where the roles were reversed and kurt was the geeky unpopular one and blaine the cheerio. hope you like it! xxx Tiger**


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